It just gets worse at the BBC

Jul 19 2007

It’s been a very bad week for our state broadcasting station. As an 'impartial', government run, taxpayer funded outfit, it’s been accused of bias (again) and today’s papers expose another phone-in competition scam at the BBC. This comes barely days after Blue Peter admitted fixing one of their competitions. Today BBC Director General Mark Thompson held his hands up and confessed there were deceptions and that six shows deliberately rigged their competitions.

The issue now is not whether heads will roll, but how many. Thompson has warned staff they face the sack if they trick the public in future. As noble a gesture that is, perhaps there needs to be a complete clear-out at the BBC. Why even stop there? Let’s jump on the bandwagon and call for a complete transformation of the BBC – taking it out of the state’s hands and putting it out to compete.

People should be free to pay the license fee if they wish to subscribe to the BBC. But at present it’s illegal to have a TV without paying the license fee, making it a defacto TV-tax.

How much more evidence do we need to wake people up to the incomprehensible nature of the BBC? You pay for it and it scams you. You can’t watch anything else without paying into BBC the pot.

The BBC is an unwieldy throwback to an age where the state knew best and could control everything. We have better, more competitive and popular TV channels out there in touch with our viewing needs. The BBC should prove its worth in competing without state handouts. Perhaps then it will earn its place on our screens.

It’s been a very bad week for our state broadcasting station. As an 'impartial', government run, taxpayer funded outfit, it’s been accused of bias (again) and today’s papers expose another phone-in competition scam at the BBC. This comes barely days after Blue Peter admitted fixing one of their competitions. Today BBC Director General Mark Thompson held his hands up and confessed there were deceptions and that six shows deliberately rigged their competitions.

The issue now is not whether heads will roll, but how many. Thompson has warned staff they face the sack if they trick the public in future. As noble a gesture that is, perhaps there needs to be a complete clear-out at the BBC. Why even stop there? Let’s jump on the bandwagon and call for a complete transformation of the BBC – taking it out of the state’s hands and putting it out to compete.

People should be free to pay the license fee if they wish to subscribe to the BBC. But at present it’s illegal to have a TV without paying the license fee, making it a defacto TV-tax.

How much more evidence do we need to wake people up to the incomprehensible nature of the BBC? You pay for it and it scams you. You can’t watch anything else without paying into BBC the pot.

The BBC is an unwieldy throwback to an age where the state knew best and could control everything. We have better, more competitive and popular TV channels out there in touch with our viewing needs. The BBC should prove its worth in competing without state handouts. Perhaps then it will earn its place on our screens.